Servant Leadership – Engaging The Heart

I’m old school. I am a people person and I believe that people always come first.

When a colleague sends an e-mail, I try to answer them face-to-face when possible.

Once a year, I touched base with a phone call with every parent of every student in my classes to relay something positive. That number has exceeded 180 students in previous years.

I speak to as many students as humanly possible as I walk through the halls of my school. I want to know about them — more than their name or grade level. I want to be able to make a real connection with each student for the next time that I see them.

During my lunch time, I always take 5 – 10 minutes to speak with a colleague and engage with others – I have to have a healthy balance of students and adults.

It’s easy to get caught in the busy moments of a your day. However it’s important to realize that being people-centered requires time and effort, and it’s essential in the kid business of education.

As a future principal, I have dedicated myself to the being a servant leader and connecting the fabric our campus to each stakeholder. And, it starts with the heart.

I will serve my staff, so that they can serve the learners. I will set aside time to pop into teachers classrooms during the passing period to check on them and see what I can do to make their job easier.

I will serve my students, so they know what it’s like to have an extended school family. As an administrator, I shouldn’t be an untouchable superior being, but instead be in the trenches of their learning.

I will serve my team, as our strengths together will be the key to achieving our goals.

I will serve my community, as it takes a villages to accomplish our task of education.

I will serve myself, knowing that I must be prepared and confident in who I am in order to help others.